As the Philippines continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 3.6 million Filipinos are battling mental health issues, the Department of Health (DOH) revealed Wednesday.
Frances Prescilla Cuevas, chief health program officer of the DOH’s Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, said 1.14 million Filipinos have depression, 847,000 are battling alcohol-use disorders, and 520,000 others were diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“This is an understatement. This is a figure that’s underreported because it only tackles a few of the conditions,” Cuevas said.
“It only means that we will find more cases if we have more data,” she said.
Contracting COVID-19 also affects a person’s mental health, as a DOH study showed that one in every three COVID-19 patients was diagnosed with neuropsychiatric condition six months after being infected with the disease, Cuevas said.
“The coronavirus pandemic is inducing a considerable degree of fear, worry, and concern,” she said.
“Psychological impact includes elevated rates of stress or anxiety… A lot of adult Filipinos are highly stressed,” she said.
The quality of living during the pandemic “has a great impact on the psychological issues” that affect a person’s mental state, Cuevas said.
“We are in the same storm, but we are not on the same boat,” she said.
“’Yung iba, stable masyado ang kanilang pamumuhay ngunit yung iba ay talaga namang hirap na hirap sa pandemic,” she said.
The government has been providing cash aid and food packages to indigent families to ensure that Filipinos would not have to worry about survival during the pandemic, Cuevas said.
“That is one of the biggest services the government is doing, to provide security,” she said.
Several crisis hotlines have also been launched to help those who have mental health issues, Cuevas said.
In April, the hotline received 1,805 calls—200 calls higher than the 1,604 calls recorded in March, according to data from the DOH.
“Around 31 percent [of calls in April] are about anxiety and depressive symptoms, and 22 percent referrals to psychiatrists and psychologists,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an earlier interview.
Between January and February, the same mental health crisis hotline has registered a monthly average of 289 suicide-related calls, the DOH said.
